Sales Manager, SME & Growth

About Airwallex
Airwallex is the only unified payments and financial platform for global businesses. Powered by our unique combination of proprietary infrastructure and software, we empower over 200,000 businesses worldwide - including Brex, Rippling, Navan, Qantas, SHEIN and many more - with fully integrated solutions to manage everything from business accounts, payments, spend management and treasury, to embedded finance at a global scale.
Proudly founded in Melbourne, we have a team of over 2,000 of the brightest and most innovative people in tech across 26 offices around the globe. Valued at US$8 billion and backed by world-leading investors including T. Rowe Price, Visa, Mastercard, Robinhood Ventures, Sequoia, Salesforce Ventures, DST Global, and Lone Pine Capital, Airwallex is leading the charge in building the global payments and financial platform of the future. If you're ready to do the most ambitious work of your career, join us.
Attributes We Value
We hire successful builders with founder-like energy who want real impact, accelerated learning, and true ownership. You bring strong role-related expertise and sharp thinking, and you're motivated by our mission and operating principles. You move fast with good judgment, dig deep with curiosity, and make decisions from first principles, balancing speed and rigor.
You're humble and collaborative; turn zero-to-one ideas into real products, and you "get stuff done" end-to-end. You use AI to work smarter and solve problems faster. Here, you'll tackle complex, high-visibility problems with exceptional teammates and grow your career as we build the future of global banking. If that sounds like you, let's build what's next.
About the team
The SME & Growth Business team at Airwallex is a passionate group of collaborators and business champions dedicated to empowering small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to thrive in the global economy. We combine deep financial expertise with a growth mindset, working closely with our clients to understand their unique needs and develop tailored solutions that streamline cross-border payments and unlock new revenue streams. As a team, we are driven by a desire to make a positive impact and are constantly innovating to find new ways to support the success of our SME customers.
What you'll do
As a Sales Manager, Japan, you will actively contribute to the country's sales strategy and execution - managing the Japan sales team while also building and scaling channel partnerships as a key growth engine. Your mission is to drive rapid customer acquisition, revenue growth, and market share expansion across Japan's SME and mid-market segments.
This is a high-impact leadership role where you'll work cross-functionally with strategy, product, marketing, and operations to establish Airwallex as the default fintech platform for Japanese businesses.
Responsibilities:

• Actively contribute towards and execute the go-to-market strategy for Japan, including direct sales and channel-driven approaches, aligned with company-wide goals
• Build, manage, and mentor the Japan sales team, ensuring strong execution, continuous improvement, and career development
• Design and scale a robust channel partner program in Japan - identifying, onboarding, and enabling partners (e.g., e-commerce/digital agencies, incorporation agents, accountants etc.) to generate high-quality referrals and drive growth
• Act as a thought leader and Airwallex brand ambassador, building strategic relationships with key ecosystem players including start-up investors, accelerators, and other relevant communities
• Partner with marketing teams to launch high-impact campaigns and co-marketing activities with both direct and channel leads
• Provide strategic market feedback to product and operations teams to shape offerings and ensure strong local product-market fit in Japan
• Report on sales performance, pipeline, and partner impact, with a focus on data-driven decision making and accountability

Who you are
We're looking for people who meet the minimum requirements for this role. The preferred qualifications are great to have, but are not mandatory.
Minimum qualifications:

• Proven experience leading high-performing sales teams, with a strong track record of delivering growth and managing full-cycle sales teams in Japan, preferably in a tech/startup environment
• Demonstrated ability to contribute towards and execute strategic go-to-market plans and work cross-functionally across strategy, marketing, product, and operations teams
• Proven experience in developing and scaling channel/indirect sales programs in the Japanese market
• Deep understanding of the Japanese SME and startup landscape, including cultural nuance, decision-making structures, and competitive dynamics
• Passion for sales and a hands-on, ownership mindset - you're ready to prospect, pitch, follow up, and close deals end-to-end
• Ability to navigate competing priorities in a fast-paced environment, with a strong accountability for outcomes
• Strong leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills - comfortable representing the company with clients, partners, and external stakeholders, as well as being a trusted leader within the Japan sales team
• Analytical and execution-driven mindset with strong commercial instincts
• Native-level fluency in Japanese with business-level proficiency in English (spoken and written) to lead local teams and communicate with global stakeholders

Preferred qualifications:

• Experience working in a fast-growing fintech, SaaS, or payments company
• Track record of launching or expanding a business into a new market or vertical

Applicant Safety Policy: Fraud and Third-Party Recruiters
To protect you from recruitment scams, please be aware that Airwallex will not ask for bank details, sensitive ID numbers (i.e. passport), or any form of payment during the application or interview process. All official communication will come from an @airwallex.com email address. Please apply only through careers.airwallex.com or our official LinkedIn page.
Airwallex does not accept unsolicited resumes from search firms/recruiters. Airwallex will not pay any fees to search firms/recruiters if a candidate is submitted by a search firm/recruiter unless an agreement has been entered into with respect to specific open position(s). Search firms/recruiters submitting resumes to Airwallex on an unsolicited basis shall be deemed to accept this condition, regardless of any other provision to the contrary.
Equal opportunity
Airwallex is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity and anyone seeking employment at Airwallex is considered based on merit, qualifications, competence and talent. We don't regard color, religion, race, national origin, sexual orientation, ancestry, citizenship, sex, marital or family status, disability, gender, or any other legally protected status when making our hiring decisions. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.